The US Air Force says it is collecting Russian DNA samples for “research” purposes only, after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised concerns about the practice and its possible use in biological warfare.

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are working to improve conductivity and safety in lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power many electronic devices around the world, including laptops, iPods, satellites, artificial hearts and cell phones.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas investigating critical properties of ferroelectric thin films — which have applications in sensors, actuators and memory devices — have shed light on an overlooked phase of the material.

A potential new state of matter is being reported in the journal Nature, with research showing that among superconducting materials in high magnetic fields, the phenomenon of electronic symmetry breaking is common.